News

Voter Advocates Reassure Voters that Ohio Elections are Fair

Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016

Voter advocates reassured voters on Tuesday that Ohio’s election
system is secure and urged Ohioans to use the toll-free Election Protection Hotline if
they encounter any voting-related issues. “We want to reassure voters that Ohio has many
layers of safeguards built into our voting process to make sure it is fair and accurate.
Don’t allow the naysayers to undermine your faith in democracy. Have your say by
voting,” said Carrie Davis of the League of Women Voters of Ohio. “We do not expect
voters to encounter problems whether voting early or on Election Day, but, if you do,
that is why we have the Election Protection hotline standing by to help – just call
866-OUR-VOTE.”

Recently, concerns about the potential for elections to be “rigged” has been raised
in the context of the US Presidential campaign, and election officials of all political
backgrounds – including Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted – have strenuously
defended the integrity of our election system.
“Voters should be reassured that Ohio has bipartisan election administration,’’ said
Catherine Turcer with Common Cause Ohio. “Like Noah’s ark, poll workers go two by
two; one Democrat and one Republican. There are built in safeguards like voter
identification and signature match. The voter verified paper audit trail on touch
screen voting machines provides protection as well. The name of the candidates
rotate position with each precinct and there is an audit following the election.”.

Still, the intensity of this year’s election has left many voters with questions, said
election law expert Camille Wimbish, of Ohio Voter Rights Coalition who provides
answers through the Election Protection Hotline.
“The hotline won’t tell you who to vote for. But we can answer all kinds of questions
about the mechanics of voting in Ohio,” Wimbish said. “With more voters opting to
vote early, we’re getting a lot of calls about when to vote, where to vote, how to
vote and what kinds of ID voters need to bring.”

“Claims that the election process is rigged are not only false, they are destructive to
democracy,” said Maria Bruno, Director of Voter Protection Program for America
Votes. "Donald Trump and Mike Pence's attempt to fan the flames of racism is
inexcusable and a scramble to slow their steep drop in the polls. We all have the
right to a voting process free of suppression or intimidation, and in an election
where minority voters have unprecedented influence, we need to make sure that all
voters can exercise their voice at the ballot box.”

Voters are not expected to encounter problems whether voting early or on Election
Day, but those who do are urged to call the Election Protection at 866-OURVOTE.
Volunteers will be available to assist with any voting-related questions or
problems that arise during Ohio’s early voting period, which started Oct. 12 and runs
through Nov. 7. The hotline will also be operating during Election Day on Nov. 8.

Ohio voting advocates joined forces with the national, nonpartisan Election
Protection coalition to provide live assistance for Ohio voters throughout the four week
early voting period that started on October 12.
Voters can call 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) toll-free from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. EDT
on Election Day. Spanish-speaking voters may seek bilingual assistance through the
888-VE-Y-VOTA (888-839-8682) 6:30 a.m. EDT to 10:30 p.m. EDT. Assistance is also
available in a variety of Asian languages through the 1-888-API-VOTE (888-274-8683).
Frequent questions from voters range from the location of the early in-person voting
sites across the state to inquiries about when they will receive absentee ballots in
the mail.

While the Election Protection hotline is national, calls from within Ohio
during Early Vote will be routed directly to volunteers based in Columbus.
Election Protection, the nation’s largest nonpartisan voter protection coalition, led
by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, is working in partnership with
Ohio groups such as Common Cause Ohio, League of Women Voters of Ohio, the Ohio
Unity Coalition, Ohio Voice and the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio to
staff a hotline to answer questions about the state’s early voting process.
Ohio Election Protection will post periodic updates on questions or issues identified
by OhioVoters in Twitter. Look for our logo or go to #VoteEarlyOH.

A list of questions and answer can also be found on the League of Women
Voters' How do I know Ohio's election is secure?